Mindscape
by Herpestidae
Summary: Beast Boy is trapped in his primal form, a danger to himself and others. Raven and Cyborg travel into his mind to help sort things out. BBRae. Reviews and criticism welcome.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Good day to you. My first real Teen Titans Fanfic, expect short chapters between 1000 and 2000 words. And slow updates, because college is a bitch. Well, let's get started!

* * *

It had started out as a routine alarm. The Hive 5 were at it again. Robin sighed. At least there were actually five of them, this time. The five teenagers made their way to the bank, keeping to the side of the throngs of fleeing pedestrians.

Mammoth was busy breaking open the safe at the back, while Gizmo was holding a laser cannon in the face of the teller. Billy Numerous and See-More filled up bags of money.

"Why! Won't! This! Thing! Budge!?" yelled Mammoth, delivering a punch to the thick metal safe door with each word. A portal opened beside him, and a mountain of gold bricks came through it, followed by Kyd Wykkyd.

"Nice work," said Mammoth, placing the gold into his own sack. "We made a decent haul today."

"What say you save us the trouble and haul it back for us?" came a voice at the door. Robin stood there, with the other titans behind him in usual formation.

"Crud!" said Gizmo. "How'd you find us so fast?"

"You _could_ try robbing a bank that's not in plain view of the Tower." suggested Beast Boy. He pointed out the window to the giant 'T' in the middle of the lake.

Gizmo fumed. "Hive Five! Eat 'em alive!"

"Titans, Go!" came Robin's standard battle cry.

Mammoth bulled forward to be stopped dead in his tracks by Cyborg. They struggled for position while Gizmo went after Robin with his cybernetic wings spread wide, firing off bullets like crazy. He was stopped by a green ball of energy from Starfire. With Gizmo off his tail, Robin went after Billy Numerous, who immediately split into seven to take him on.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was preoccupied with See-More. Our verdant hero was unable to get close enough to strike, until he morphed into a cheetah to get by the eye beams. He was blocked by a force field shaped like a pupil and blown toward the wall.

Raven had a hard time getting hold of Kyd Wykkyd. He never made a sound, and jumping in and out of shadow portals made him hard to catch, much less hit. She was surprised when a fist emerged from her own shadow and clocked her in the back of her head. Turning, she was tripped by a hand from the floor.

As much as the Titans hated to admit it, the Hive Five were almost an even match. The tide of battle turned, however, with one stupid move. Tossing Cyborg over his head, Mammoth bulled forward. Raven was the closest. He ran straight toward her, about to put his shoulder to her back, when Beast boy yelled out.

"Raven! Look out!"

Mammoth had already leapt, and Raven ducked just in time. Unfortunately, As mammoth sailed over her head, he crashed into a support beam. the spire crumbled into dust and fell right on top of her.

"Raven!"

Beast Boy's eyes widened. He was already running toward her when the rubble fell. He crouched where he was. The villains saw his distraction and went for him.

They didn't expect to find a large howling beast of unspecified species in his place. But they only had a second before a green blur stood where Gizmo was, bumping the dwarf over twenty feet to slam his head into the wall. The beast went for Billy next, picking up a Billy Clone and slamming it into the others. The ploy was foolproof, and Billy slumped, defeated. A portal opened in the wall to the Beast's left, only for a lanky arm to reach in and grab Kyd Wykkdy's head and give it a mighty skull bash.

Mammoth was next. As The beast leapt toward him, a blue beam hit him in the back, freezing him solid. The two remaining villains breathed a sigh of relief, when the green behemoth burst from his imprisonment, sending shards everywhere. mammoth ran forward, prepared to punch its lights out, but his fist was caught with ease. He gulped and stared into the wolf-like face, praying that some vestige of the human inside would spare him. Instead, he received a bone-crushing fist-claw to the face. The beast turned and roared in See-More's general direction. The small teen fainted away.

The beast made his way to the pile of rubble, helping the other Titans dig Raven out. However, once a pale arm was visible, The green leviathan turned on them. He encircled about Raven, growling at each Titan in turn as they tried to get closer.

"Friend Beast Boy," inquired Starfire, "do you not recognize us? We are your team."

"Let's back away until he calms down." Robin suggested. He knew from experience that in this form, Beast Boy was nearly unstoppable. He possessed great strength, speed, and even intelligence. But like any animal, it would react negatively to panic.

They did so, and Beast boy- or the Beast- carefully removed the rubble, then _not_ so carefully dragged Raven out with its teeth and slung her over its back, then raced out of the bank.

"Titans, follow it!" Robin cried.

They had nothing to worry about, however. The Beast had brought Raven back to Titans' Tower and lain her in her bed, and was now curled on the floor at her feet. He growled at Cyborg when he entered. Raven was surrounded with a blue aura, and Cyborg could tell that she was in a healing trance. Cyborg left the two under video surveillance for the night.

* * *

Raven awoke with the wind on her face. She opened her eyes to find a wolf-like nose not two inches from her face. She screamed and leapt up, and the Beast jumped back as well.

Cyborg rushed in. "What happened?!"

"I could ask the same thing." Raven replied.

"You got knocked out yesterday. BB went all... Beast-y and took 'em out. Then he brought you here."

"Beast Boy?" Raven asked.

The wolf-man/teen was at her side in an instant.

"He's still not back yet? Something's up. He should have changed back after he fell asleep."

"He slept here?" Raven asked.

"The whole night. I guess he wanted to make sure you were okay."

Raven placed her hand on The Beast's head. "His mind... it's different. Call Robin."

* * *

"You sure this is necessary?" asked Robin.

"Yes." Raven replied.

The Beast was trapped in pink rubber netting in the medical bay, compliments of Mad Mod's section of the Evidence room. He was hooked up to the usual monitors: heart rate, blood pressure, etc. Robin looked out at the severely brutalized hallway, thanks of BB's hatred of doctors multiplied by natural animal panic. _Cleaning this up will be fun_.

Raven had drawn a green pentagram on the floor. She and Cyborg were holding her mind portal, but with one of Beast Boy's (smelly) socks on the handle.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." They chanted together. After a while, a portal opened up and sucked the two in.

* * *

Well, there's the prologue! Reviews would be helpful. It's simple good manners, and it would help motivate me to write the next chapter, knowing that people are reading.


	2. Primal

Author's Note: I apologize for the late update, but you should expect it. Well, moving right into the story, eh? be reminded that this is all a big metaphor I pulled from my ass.

* * *

Raven opened her eyes in a desert, the dusty ground and sparse cacti a form of comfort. She was used to the empty asteroid that (except for Happy's realm) served as her metaphorical mind, and had started having a few second thoughts about entering Beast Boy's mind, considering his room's constant state of mess.

"Hooray for the little things." She said. "Make sure you stay close Cy."

She got no response.

"Cyborg?"

The tall, strong, metallic titan wasn't there. The spell- or beast Boy's mind- had separated them.

"Good job." She muttered, annoyed. With little else to do, she began walking toward what looked like a small hill in the ground up ahead.

* * *

Cyborg was also annoyed. He trumped through the forest, doing his best not to break anything. Who knew what all the trees were supposed to be? He also decided against blasting his way through everything.

"Yo! BB? Rae? One of you BB emotion-thingies? Hello!?"

Nothing. Nobody. He stopped and sat down. How he came to be separated from Raven was beyond him, and searching hadn't proven very fruitful so far. He tried the communicator again.

"Raven? Do you read me? Rae?"

Static. Apparently, wireless transmissions didn't work... wherever this was. He started again, calling out haphazardly, deciding that he had to run into _somebody_ eventually.

In five minutes, he ran into somebody. A giant, green bear bulled him into the ground, trying its to slash into his face. It was much stronger than Cyborg had guessed it would be, and actually sent the both of them rolling down a hill.

"BB! Calm down, It's me!" He yelled, but the mad beast would not listen.

When they reached the bottom of the hill, Cyborg decided that there was only one way to get through a thick skull- a cybernetic fist. He slugged the bear across the head and stunned it before finally gaining a position at the top. He pinned down its arms and legs and tried talking again.

"Calm down B. I'm not gonna hurt you."The animal seemed to comply, its breathing slowing. Soon enough, it began to shrink.

Cyborg was shocked at what he found. This Beast Boy was wearing a black and pink version of Beast Boy's normal costume, but instead of the outline(?) of a tank top and shorts, it was a bikini the costume seemed a bit more form-fitting as well.

"You can get off me now."

Cyborg did so quickly. "You're a girl."

"I'm Compassion, Caring, and Expression. We used to be three separate entities, but those _blockheads in upper management_-" The four words were yelled to the surrounding atmosphere, as if said 'blockheads' were listening in- "decided we were the feminine side and mashed us into one. Next day, I had all this hair, a new costume a bunch of other 'assets,' including a brand new birth canal. Go figure."

"Nice. Wait, when you say you're Expression-"

"Yeah, the side that actively wants to express our emotions to the outside world."

"Why'd you attack me? Didn't you recognize me?"

"Not really. I'm kind of have a primal with me.

"A Primal?"

* * *

Raven had reached the indent, not really knowing what to expect. It had turned out to be some sort of burrow entrance. She called into it.

"Hello!?"

No answer. She waited a minute, then passed it on the other side. A green meerkat popped out of the tunnel, and seeing the cloak, immediately morphed back to human. He wore Beast Boy's standard costume, but purple was replaced with yellow.

"Hey, wait up! Don't leave me alone!" He caught Raven's hand. "You need to help, they're loose!"

"What? Who's loose?" Raven asked, turning around.

Immediately, Yellow Beast Boy shrunk back and cowered. "Raven! Oh, my gosh, We're sorry we spilled that soda into your spell book, please don't hurt us!"

"That was you?"

"Curiosity got the better of us." Yellow said from his position.

"Get up." Raven said curtly. Yellow obeyed, studying the cracks in the floor to avoid her gaze. "I'm guessing you're Fear?"

"Yeah. I thought you were someone else."

"One of Beast Boy's emotions runs around in a cloak?" Raven asked, sarcastically.

"Yes." Fear answered.

"_My_ cloak?"

"Yeah."

"Do I want to know?" Raven inquired, resting her head in her palm.

"Self-Control. He's the one we need."

"For what?"

"To get the Primals back in line." Fear said.

"Primals?"

"Yes, Primals," The emotion responded. "They're our instincts that apply more specifically to animals than to humans. Reproduction, Protection, Self-Preservation and Panic. They were all like us at once, but when we all turned into the giant Beast the first time, they stayed in beast form. Self-Control is supposed to keep them in check, but we can override him when we think it's best. When you got hurt, we decided to let Protection loose, and releasing one Primal releases them all. And then we couldn't find Self-control, and it was all downhill."

"So why aren't they running about like proverbial wild animals?"

"We don't know."

"And shouldn't you be a Primal?" Raven asked, suspicious.

"Not really, but Primals spread through the mind and turn us all into Sub-primals. Only a few of us won't be affected. I'm one of them. I'm more of a trigger. I can set off Panic, and it'll take me over and use me as a battery."

"Well, where are the other Primals?"

"Well, I'm sure Reproduction already got Drive."

"Drive?"

"Sex Drive."

"Take me there."

"But you could-" Fear started.

"I know what could happen, and, frankly, I don't care. Take me to Drive. I can protect him if he hasn't been overpowered yet."

"But what if he-"

"I'll take the chance."

And with that, Fear took hold of Raven's hand and they disappeared.

* * *

Feminine (though she hated being called that) led Cyborg back up the hill, explaining the Primals in depth as they went along. She was currently Protection's "host." Protection was considered the "tamest" of the Primals, meaning it was slightly easier to control than the other three. That being said, it didn't give a lot of leeway. At the top of the hill, Cyborg realized why Feminine was so strong. In a nearby cave was an orange emotion. It waved at Cyborg.

"That's Logic. He has some control over Primals, but he can still be overshadowed. I'm taking him along to find Self-Control. I thought you were a primal coming to get us, and Protection kicked in before I could stop myself. When we find Self-Control and give back all four Primals, everything goes back to normal."

Cyborg processed the information. "Okay, I understand most of this, but what's the difference between protection and Self-Preservation?"

"Self-Preservation refers to ourself. Protection is for others."

"So, where do we go now?"

"We're going to check on Courage. He can power Self-Preservation the most, so It'd go after him first."

With that, the three teleported into another realm.


	3. Pathway

Chapter 3 here. I'm sorry for the giant info-dump last chapter, but I just had to get that out of the way. I'd say this is the halfway point. I'm not very good at stretching a story out. The whole thing should get resolved in 2-3 chapters. Anyway, let the story begin.

* * *

In her own mind, Raven would travel between and among different realms with arches that served as portals. In Beast Boy's mind, there were no doors, much to her chagrin. When Beast Boy's Fear grabbed her hand- almost unwillingly, it seemed- the subsequent sensation was only comparable to being placed into a washing machine from hell, and then having whatever demon in control of it place it on the highest possible setting. As her feet touched the ground, she almost fell flat, but managed to right herself by placing a hand on the ground. It was muddy and covered with wet leaves. It was hot and humid in this area, and when she looked up, she found trees that stretched almost a hundred feet in the air. She was in a rain forest. After a few more seconds, her disorientation wore off, and she stood up.

"That was not pleasant," she said. "Does nobody use a door in this place?"

"Not really," Fear replied.

Raven looked around for a bit more, then decided to get moving.

"So, do you guys each have your own realm?" Raven asked.

"In a sense, yes, but we move around a lot." Fear replied.

"Why?"

"You expect us to stay one place?"

"My emotions do it."

"Well, we don't." Said Fear, offended. His face formed a half-scowl, then swiftly reverted back to normal.

They continued for a few more minutes, until Raven started feeling the heat. She was sweating. If this were her mind, her metaphor, it wouldn't have mattered. But the limitations of her human body still existed in Beast Boy's mind and if this kept up, she would soon be dehydrated. There was only one thing for it. As she undid the clasp on her cloak, Fear eyed her.

"I _really_ wouldn't do that." He said.

Raven ignored him. "If I sweat any more, It's not going to end well. It's the best option. Besides, for all we know, we'll find Drive faster."

"Do you _want_ to find him faster? Think of the things he'd do."

"You do realize that you're talking to _me_, right?"

And with that, she shed the cloak completely. True to her prediction, before she could even toss the cloak over her shoulder, something large and brawny leapt onto her. Instinctively, her black energy force field appeared around her and pushed it away. Fear scrambled away immediately.

"Get back here!" Raven yelled, before being cornered by the... whatever this was.

The thing stepped out of the shadows, and instantly Raven was reminded of the cavemen in those annoying car insurance commercials. It had green skin and resembled a gorilla, with a large head and deep brow-ridge. It wore a hot pink loincloth and was covered in hair. Beside it was the standard, pure-green wolf-man. They both eyed her hungrily, and there was no mistaking the look in its eye. Drive had been overshadowed, Procreation was here, and now there was nobody to get her out of here. Raven backed off warily.

* * *

Cyborg, too was a victim of the demon washing machine effect of teleportation in Beast Boy's mind. He sat for a few minutes as his hydraulic systems re-calibrated his equilibrium. When he rose and opened his eyes, he found himself on an island in the middle of a lake. The view was familiar, and all he had to do was turn around to confirm his suspicions. He was standing in front of Titans Tower.

"I'm back home?"

"No, you're still in our mind." Feminine said. "A few of the emotions like to hang out here: Self-Control, Courage, Joy, and Intelligence."

"They hang out in a replica of Titans' Tower?" Cyborg asked incredulously. "Why?"

The door opened and they entered.

"Remember when Robin went on that trip and we went through his stuff?" Feminine asked.

Cyborg allowed himself a chuckle. "Oh, yeah. We should _totally_ do that again sometime. I say we raid Raven's stuff next."

He turned to Feminine, who was clutching her head and moaning.

"What's up?"

When she looked up, her pupils were shrunken, and she was already distorting into a wolf-like physique.

"It's Raven! She's in trouble! I have to go!"

"I'll go with you. Where is she?"

Cyborg reached for her arm, but she swatted him across the room with little effort. Her muscles were already tearing out of her suit when she teleported away without him.

Cyborg turned to Logic. "So... How _you_ doin'?"

* * *

The second Drive had shown up, Fear had decided to get as far away as possible. He had already teleported back to the savanna to hide in his hole. He knew he didn't stand a chance against Drive/Procreation now. He knew _Raven_ didn't stand a chance. He stopped. He was already in meerkat form, when a thought struck him. He had to go back. Fear was afraid of what would happen to him. But he was _more_ afraid of what was going to happen to Raven.

* * *

By this time, Protection had taken full control of Feminine, and it was frantically moving through several scenes at once, sniffing the air for only a second before teleporting away again. When it came to the rain forest, it stopped, sniffed, and ran at a blinding speed. It had Raven's scent.

* * *

Raven was backed up against a giant tree, staring down the two behemoths that slowly advanced on her. She shuddered a little, contemplating what would happen if she used her powers while inside Beast Boy's mind, and the possible consequences of hurting a natural part of his psyche. That was when something truly unexpected happened.

A rock flew through the air, bouncing off Procreation's head.

"Get away from her!"

Fear, of all people (kind of), was racing toward the two giants. He leapt onto Drive's neck and attempted a choke-hold, but was shrugged off like nothing and thrown above Raven's head, crashing into the tree with a dull _thud_. But he didn't stay down.

"I said, Leave. Her. Alone!"

The yellow portions of his suit began to glow, and soon the light shrouded him entirely. When it receded, Raven swore she wouldn't believe what she was seeing, had she not seen it before. Fear was wearing Robin's costume, cape and all.

"Let's get serious." he said, whipping several smoke bombs from his utility belt.

He threw the bombs between the two beasts, and was about to rush right in, when a green blur shot past him, flipping him almost a full 360 degrees. Almost. He landed unceremoniously on his face, and pushed himself up just in time to see a third beast join in and give the other two the beating of their lives. It tore at them with its claws and teeth and took blows from them in stride, dishing out twice as much as it took. It only took a matter of seconds before the newcomer was victorious. It picked up Raven's discarded cape in its teeth and brought it to her, as if it were her pet. Raven turned to her attempted rescuer.

"At least you tried, uh... is it still Fear?"

"It's Courage now."

And then their new beastly ally started frantically attempting communication with the two of them, which was in essence a bunch of howls and grunts, with a few barks every now and then. Raven feigned interest.

"What happened? Is that stupid kid stuck in the well again?" she deadpanned.

"No, It knows where Cyborg is!"

The beast nodded its head and grabbed the two of them, but before it could teleport the two of them away, Procreation sprang up and grabbed Courage, tackling him to the ground. The two disappeared into thin air instantly. Before Raven could say anything, The felt the horrible spinning effect again. There was nothing else to do.

* * *


	4. Progress

A/N: Hey guys! My semester's done, and now I can pay full attention to my fanfics. I'd say there's about 3 chapters after this one, and I'm halfway through the one after this. You'll get it in two weeks... or when This fic gets to 30 reviews. It's all in your hands now.

I've noticed that the name of every chapter so far stats with the letter "P." I shall continue for the sake of uniformity.

* * *

Raven once again felt the sickening spinning in the pit of her stomach. She clutched the tall furry body. She had her eyes opened this time, and in the few seconds it took to reach their destination, she saw flashes of various planes: the savanna she had been in recently, a desert, mountains, even underwater. It would have been quite magnificent to behold, were she not afraid of suffering a seizure. When she finally landed, she had a splitting headache. She sunk to the stony ground, completely unaware of her surroundings. As she spilled into unconsciousness, though, she had the strange feeling that she was home.

When Raven regained consciousness, she refused to open her eyes; her head still hurt. After a few seconds, she started hearing voices.

"She gonna be okay?" That one was Cyborg.

"It was probably... an effect... of the teleportation." That voice sounded like Beast Boy, but pitched a bit higher. He was panting, too. What was up with his throat?

Raven slowly remembered where she was: in Beast Boy's mind. So why was she laying on an all-too-familiar semi-circular leather couch? She slowly opened her eyes. She was back in the Tower, in the living room/ op center. Apparently, someone- or some_thing_- had forced her out of Beast Boy's mind. But then she saw her: a girl, with green skin, dark green hair, a tattered black and pink suit, and a fang that jutted from her mouth. Raven blinked.

"Beast Boy?" She asked, dazed.

"Kinda." The girl smiled, forcing another fang over her upper lip.

"Where's Cyborg?" Raven asked.

"I'm here, Rae," Cyborg called out. He had pulled up his chair from around the dinner table, and was a few feet away.

Raven sat up. She shook her head ion an attempt to clear the fog from her mind.

"Are we back home?"

"Not really," Cyborg replied. "we're still in BB's head."

"Courage!" Raven said abruptly.

"Who?"

"One of Beast Boy's emotions. He was helping me look for you. He's not here?"

Feminine answered her. " I tried to look for him when I was bringing you here. It was the number of jumps that I did that made you pass out. Sorry."

"Never mind that." Raven said. "Do you know why he was wearing Robin's suit?"

Cyborg remembered the conversation he had had with Feminine shortly before. He leapt up so fast that his cybernetic knees gave an audible _whir_.

"He's dressed like Robin!? That mean's he's supposed to be _here_!"

"Exactly," Said Feminine.

"And the one dressed like _me_," Raven said "Self-Control was it? Is he supposed to be here, too?"

"I guess so," Cyborg shrugged. "But why are they missing? Where'd they go?"

Logic spoke up for the first time. His voice was cultured and a bit condescending, with a slight British accent. Raven had often imagined that Sherlock Holmes spoke like that.

"It's obvious why they're missing."

"Oh, then _please_ enlighten us." Raven said sarcastically.

"In your mind, Raven, Your emotions are just sides of yourself, and portray this by wearing your costume, but in different colors. Several of us," He touched the orange portions of his suit. "have the same quality. Emotions like me are here by _nature_. However, four of our emotions- Self-Control, Courage, Joy, and Knowledge- wear the other Titans' costumes. This is because they represent our human side, the portions of our personality that were _nurtured_ into being. Now, with our humanity missing, the Primals running about willy-nilly, and the rest of the natural emotions turning into beast-men, what would _you_ think is happening?"

"The Beast is trying to take over." Raven said.

"Which, technically, we already figured out," Cyborg said crossly, "considering the fact that we're in this place to begin with."

"Well," said Logic in an attempt to save face, "we do know that we have to find the rest of our humanity to stand a chance here. I suggest we check the rest of the tower first.

"It's not likely that they're here, though." Raven said.

"Yeah," said Cyborg, "But it'd be stupid not to check."

* * *

After an hour searching every floor of the tower for any sign of life, the small group finally reached the bedroom floor. The copies of Robin's, Cyborg's and Raven's rooms were empty, and Beast Boy's room led outside again, as if it were the front door. Raven was preparing to complain about the pointlessness of the search as they opened Starfire's door.

This time, however, they found something. Something that immediately tackled Feminine, who had opened the door. The move was so blindingly fast that the rest of the group didn't even have a chance to react. Feminine had everything under control, though. She moved along with the tackle, forcing them both into a backward roll and kicking out at a precise moment, tossing her assailant against the wall behind her. They all took fighting stances, preparing to face their enemy in combat. What they saw left Raven and Cyborg stunned.

"I ain't never gonna un-see this," Cyborg moaned. His human eye twitched.

Standing before them was a truly disturbing sight: an emotion. Cyborg had no doubt that it was Joy: he was dressed like Starfire. That's right. _He_ was dressed like Starfire.

"Glorious! Friend Cyborg has entered our realm to assist us in the incarceration of our animal desires!" Joy said, delivering a crushing hug around Cyborg's frame. Needless to day, Cyborg was not amused.

"BB's mind is now officially a messed up place."

After a few minutes, after the initial shock wore off of Cyborg and Raven, the now group of five continued down the hallway. Joy was chattering incessantly about how happy he was to see his friends and how he now had some small vestige of hope in defeating the enemy. Eventually the topic of his comments devolved into pets, babies, and other cute things. Raven found this part particularly sickening. Cyborg was pondering telling him off, when he noticed Raven stop walking. After a few seconds, she continued walking toward them, then backtracked. She repeated the performance. Everyone seemed to be watching her by this point.

"What's up?" Cyborg asked.

"There's some sort of presence," Raven responded, "behind this door. And it's _really_ strong."

She pointed to the nameplate. It read _Terra_.

* * *

A/N: What's behind Terra's door? Who is knocking off Beast Boy's humanity. Where have they been taken? Will our heroes find a way to bring their friend back? Find out, on the next chapter of _Mindscape_!


	5. Pangs

Hi guys! I'm updating earlier than i said because I finished early. I plan to post the next chapter in 2 weeks, but I may decide to update early based on the number of review I get... Not that I'm implying anything, of course. Also, this chapter marks the first time since the prologue that we see Robin and Starfire.

* * *

They passed through the threshold. Like the one to Beast Boy's replica room, this door was a portal to a place outside the tower. However, they realized that they were in some sort of cave. In the half-light, they also noticed a full-color statue of Terra, and the sounds of punches landing and someone grunting. At a glance from Raven, Cyborg popped out the floodlight in his shoulder.

The room's occupant turned toward the beam of light, and what Raven saw stopped her in her tracks. This emotion was shaped like Beast Boy, but those red eyes. That evil white skin. Even if she hadn't heard the story of the fight against Trigon, she knew what this was. She felt the link to her father radiating from it. She backed away. After a while, the mysterious emotion returned to his attempted desecration of Terra's statue. However, nothing he did seemed to dent it. Raven moved closer, and saw that every time he struck it, some sort of green aura stopped the blow. Eventually, the emotion slumped to the floor and put his face in his hands, shaking with tears. Raven attempted to comfort him, but just placing a hand on his shoulder caused her empathic powers to flare up. The negative emotions that he contained burned her to the core. She withdrew her hands instantly.

"You can't help me. I can't go near you. I'm too... Negative. My existence is pain. Anger. Doubt. I exist for no other reason."

"What are you doing?" Raven asked him.

"She was everything." Negative said. "Everything. I drove her away. I could have helped."

At this point, a screen seemed to come out of nowhere to play a scene.

_"You're still my friend, right?" Terra was asking.  
_

_Beast Boy turned his back. "Slade's right, Terra. You have no friends."_

Another scene. Terra was looking him dead in the face. This was after he'd said those horrible things. This was when Terra had done her best to end the Titans' existence and take over Jump City.

_"I have no friends. Remember?"_

"All my fault," Negative was saying, rocking back and forth.

Even though she knew it would hurt, Raven tried to touch him.

"There was nothing you could do." She said softly. "She was a traitor from the start-"

_Smack!_

Raven reeled back in shock, a red mark spreading across her cheek. Negative had struck her. He stalked toward her, eyes full of pure anger. Feminine was ready to leap at him, and nobody noticed that Logic had subdued her.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about her like that, you understand me?" He yelled. Suddenly, he whirled about and started attacking the statue again, but the green aura acted like a force field, preventing her image from being tarnished.

"She _was_ a traitor!" Negative was yelling. "She strung us along! She toyed with us! We gave her everything!" He slumped down, dejected. "Everything."

Raven pitied him. She walked over to him again, and put a hand on his shoulder. The pain she felt was just bearable.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"No you're not." he replied.

"Listen-" Raven began, but she was interrupted again.

Negative's voice began escalating. He was working himself into a fury once again. "If you were sorry, why didn't you come talk to me? If you were sorry, why couldn't you be there for me?"

Raven snatched her hand from his shoulder. The pain had spiked. But then he grabbed her. All the negativity burned her to the core. She felt its power, like some dark electricity, coursing through her veins, filling her world with pain. She felt Beast Boy's pain. It was _her _heart Terra had broken. It was _her_ fault it had happened. And still it burned, and she screamed, a horrible sound. She tried to free herself, but Negative had a firm grasp on her.

Feminine was transforming again. Protection wouldn't stand for this. But before she could leap into the fray, She was stopped by Logic.

"Down girl," he said slyly.

Cyborg and Joy moved to attack Negative, but in a flash, two Primals teleported into the room. One of them grabbed Joy and disappeared. The other attacked Cyborg. Raven's scream still echoed through the room. Protection seemed about to go mad, when a sudden flash of light filled the area. Someone new was standing there.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Titans' Tower, Robin was still monitoring Beast Boy's signs. Other than hoping that Raven and Cyborg were alright, he had nothing better to do. When they had gone through the portal, Raven's mirror was left behind. It had started to glow and then replicated itself. The new mirror, however, was green and furry, with scaly wings protruding from either side. Starfire had placed it on Beast Boy's bed, doing her best not to look into it.

Until this point, Robin and Starfire had taken turns repairing the damage that Beast Boy had inflicted on the hallway between the Medical Bay and Raven's room. She opened the door swiftly, sending a breeze into the room. She carried a clipboard and pencil.

"Robin, I bring excellent tidings!"

"What is it?" Robin leapt up. Was there some news of his three friends?

"It is time to celebrate the Tamaranian festival of Blontrak!"

"Blontrak?"

"On Tamaran, Blontrak is the celebration of the rebuilding of one's home."

Starfire flipped through the papers clipped to the board.

"And according to the records kept by Cyborg, We have now rebuilt every floor of Titans' Tower, replacing or fixing every wall, appliance and piece of furniture, and replaced all the windows, save that one."

She pointed to the window of the Medical Bay.

"That's... nice." Robin said. _Only Starfire could be in such a good mood at a time like this_, he thought. "But shouldn't we wait for everyone to come back first?"

Starfire's face fell. "Alright. But may we still break the window?" Starfire asked.

Starfire's smile managed to be creepy, cute, and convincing all at once. They always had that effect or Robin.

"I- If you want to." Robin replied.

"Yay! I shall return with the sledgehammer!"

"Uh, Starfire-"

Seconds after Starfire skipped out, the machines strapped to Beast Boy started going haywire. Robin watched as the bars rapidly flashed random colors; this was an obvious sign of danger. Starfire sped back up the stairs, sledgehammer in hand, cutting a comical figure despite the situation. Robin went to the computer to see what was causing the trouble, but turned around again when Starfire shrieked.

Over the incessant beeping of the equipment, Starfire and Robin watched horror-struck as the Beast started transforming. Its clawed feet were forming into hooves. Its chest became scaly and rough, and he was sprouting wings and horns. Even its fangs grew out of its mouth. With a horrible yet terrific howl of triumph it leapt up, pulling some of the equipment with it shattering the window, as it leapt through.

"Well," said Starfire, "we can now replace the window."

* * *

A/N:

_Cliff Hanger.  
__Hanging from a cliff!  
And That's Why he's called Cliff Hanger!_

Please tell me someone got that reference.


	6. Proposition

Alright guys, sorry for the little hiatus thing I had going on. My parents decided to perform a months-late, month-long bout of spring cleaning. What can you do, eh? Well, the story's close to wrapping up, and a sequel is in the works, which means that this story will be considered "canon" to the next one.

I'm kind of rushing it, because I'll be going on vacation for 3 weeks, starting Tuesday, so I apologize in advance for any errors/ confusing stuff. And... giant info-dump time. I really don't like this chapter. Cyborg spends half of the Villain Monologue (TM) grappling with some random beast. I only remembered halfway through it. I decided to leave it that way to show what an idiot I am. And once the villain gets going, everyone else stops speaking. Yeah. It sucks. And yet...

What a tweest!

* * *

Raven was no longer aware that she was screaming. All she knew was agony. The rage, the shame, the sadness that was not hers burned her to the core. And yet, she was cold and empty. She didn't know how long it lasted, but suddenly realized that the pain had subsided. She could _feel_ it, but it was distant. She opened her eyes. The conglomerate of Beast Boy's negative emotions still had a firm grip on her, and she was kneeling on the floor, but she felt nothing, only that it was _there_. The green aura from Terra's statue had encased her like a bubble. Suddenly it began to expand, trapping Negative inside it. he writhed and screamed, as if he couldn't handle it, then vanished, most likely to some distant part of Beast Boy's mind. A blinding light filled the room.

Raven had the strange sense that someone was holding her. A hand wiped away the tears that she hadn't remembered crying. Someone was calling her name. She snuggled closer to the warmth that the body contained. She felt secure, safe in those arms.

"_Raven!_"

Se opened her eyes. Beast Boy's face filled her vision. Some other facet of his psyche had come to her rescue again. This one was almost... cuddly.

"Which one are you?" She asked dreamily, snuggling in closer to make herself more comfortable.

She looked to his chest and saw the purple section of his costume. She closed her eyes, ready to take a nice, long nap. _Wait... purple!? _She fairly leapt out of his arms, her face somehow managed to turn paler _and_ more pink at the same time.

"Well," said Beast Boy, "_that_ was awkward."

He gave a weak chuckle. Raven wrapped her cloak more tightly around her. She felt as if Beast Boy had seen her naked.

"Yeah," she said, returning to her normal deadpan. "How'd you get here?"

"I... I don't know. I just-" Beast Boy blushed. "I knew you needed me, and that I had to be here. So I guess I just... came."

_Clap... Clap... Clap..._ "Shouldn't everyone be joining in?" a voice said behind them.

Beast Boy and Raven turned to see Logic. Beast Boy's eyes widened in realization, but he said nothing.

"I see you've figured it out. Well, you should considering this was your mind."

"Was?" Raven asked.

"It's my mind now. My body as well."

"How?"

"When you enter your mind, you put yourself into a meditative trance."

"How would you know that?" Raven interrupted.

"It would be the logical thing to do. Wouldn't want any of your other other emotions taking over, now would you? The point is, Beast Boy does not. Which means that anyone could take over. That would be me.

Oh, but why would I want to take over? Well, you should have been more attentive. Most of the entities in this realm are multifaceted. Our Feminine side is a combination of three, and our Negativity even more than that. Yet, you assumed that I only represent our Logic. In fact, I represent his mental faculties in general, and when Knowledge, Reasoning and Logic fail you, sometimes, it's best to trust your _Instincts_."

On the last word, three claw marks appeared on the costume, glowing a sickly dark green, and something leapt out. It was vaguely shaped like Beast Boy, and only barely resembled him. Its pupils were narrowed into cat-like slits. Its two bottom fangs stretched above its nose, while the top ones reached down its chin. Claws protruded from his gloves. It wore no costume, but was covered in long, shaggy fur. The body that it had come out of disappeared at its touch. It spoke in a deep and gravelly voice.

"Ever since the first time I was released all those months ago, I have been lying in wait, preparing for the day when I would once again be in control. I did as I was asked, but secretly my plan had been set for the longest while. I just needed something to push him over the edge. That would have been you, Raven."

He chuckled, placing a hand on Raven's cheek. Beast Boy swatted it away.

"Seeing our precious Raven injured was _just_ enough to set him off. Our inhibitions weakened, I took the opportunity to remove Self-Control from the picture. Without him, suffice it to say that all hell broke loose. But I still needed something. I needed to call our true self here. And for that, I needed Raven again. Just to put her in enough danger. And I had the power to do it. The Primals are only extensions of myself. I have the most control over them, although nobody will be able to command them completely. Unfortunately, my associate-" here, he beckoned Feminine, and she walked over to him- "had other plans."

Once again, Raven looked shocked, but Beast Boy just nodded.

"Although she did help me. She informed you that she had somehow managed to absorb one of the Primals, and was able to exhibit some sort of control over it. This, while not exactly untrue, was just enough of a lie to throw any suspicion off of her. Did Cyborg tell you that when he met her, she was in the form of a _bear_? - Oh, I seem to have gotten caught up in my monologue." He snapped his fingers (which didn't really make sense because of the whole claw deal). "Bring Cyborg over here.

The Primal who was busy grappling with Cyborg hefted him up and deposited him between Raven and Beast Boy.

"Now where was I? Oh, yes- You see, because the normal instinct in male animals is to continue their bloodline, it more often falls upon the the female to rear the young. The instinct to protect is a feminine quality."

Instinct turned his back to continue his "monologue". Cyborg, assuming that Instinct was distracted, fired his sonic cannon. Instinct leapt into the air, both anticipating and dodging the attack. He landed, with incredible grace, directly in front of Cyborg. Before Raven and Beast Boy could move, he transformed his right hand into a dinosaur's claw and slashed Cyborg's metal chest plate. The claws scored deeply, tearing off three huge strips of metal. Cyborg yelled and stumbled back, clutching his chest. Luckily, nothing vital had been hit. Beast Boy leapt on to him, but was surprised to discover that he was unable to transform. Instinct just chuckled. To an outsider, it would seem that Beast Boy were receiving a piggy-back ride. Instinct flipped him onto his back, effortlessly dodging a telekinetic blast from Raven while doing so.

"You didn't even wait for me to finish speaking. How rude. I guess you've heard enough. Now, if you'd excuse me, I'd like to speak to myself in private. Take them away," He said to Feminine, giving her a sharp swat on the rear.

She jumped, obviously disgusted, but walked mechanically over to Cyborg and Raven, grabbed their hands, and teleported away.

"Now then," Instinct began, "I have a deal for you."

"Not listening," Beast Boy replied, turning his back.

"You have no power. I do. I suggest you listen."

Beast Boy didn't even twitch.

"Your friends are entirely at my mercy. _Especially_ Raven."

This warranted a response. Beast Boy whirled around, attempting to slug him across the face. The blow didn't even reach his face before it was caught in his fist.

"Do you really think violence will solve all of your problems? Let's be diplomatic for a moment."

Beast Boy stared at him, eyes hard. After a minute, he dropped his gaze.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"I have what I want. Within the hour, I will have control over our body as well as our mind. However, If you promise not to resist me, I can make it worth your while."

"What do you mean?"

"Swear your allegiance to me, and I will ensure that Raven is safe from all harm. I'll personally make it my top priority."

* * *


	7. Pinnacle

No, I did not leave you guys for a year to put up a filler chapter. What would give you _that _impression? Seriously, I am truly sorry. I just couldn't get to _working _on this one, mainly because of schoolwork, but also because it's boring. Yeah, I have a bit of exposition, and a (hopefully) good joke, but I really don't like this chapter. _At all._ But it needs to be put out there so I can get all the epic fight scenes in. Incidentally, there are several different scenes in the upcoming chapter(s) which demand to be drawn of their own accord, by virtue of their being badass.

Some of you may be aware of a poll I had up for a sequel of sorts to this, but I really don't think I could do that, because 1) I don't want to do a cliche "Control Freak zapped the Titans with his magic remote that does everything OMG!" excuse for the plot, 2) Going through the exact details of Control Freak's De-aging ray as it would have worked in the story was ridiculous and convoluted, 3) Control Freak's reasoning behind the use of the ray was also unnecessarily convoluted and 4) Even discounting the reasons above, it would likely have sucked anyway. However, I latched on to an idea that I got during the course of thinking up the story, and have come up with a story that is both easier to write and, hopefully, more hilarious. Also, I updated my profile. I've got a message for you all.

* * *

Beast Boy could only stare stupidly into the eyes that were not quite his. The silence lasted well over a minute before Instinct decided to break it. He sounded very impatient.

"Can I get an answer over here? It feels like I've been waiting for months."

"I don't really understand," Beast Boy replied.

Instinct put a paw to his forehead in frustration.

"There's nothing to understand. I want freedom. You give it to me, Raven stays safe. You don't, she doesn't." To punctuate the last point, he licked his claws.

"You're bluffing."

"Am I?" There was a silky, dangerous undertone to the question. He grabbed Beast Boy's shoulder, and in an instant, they were in a new area: A blank room, with nothing but a television and a Gamestation controller.

The screen was on. As it came into focus, Beast Boy saw himself- if the term could be so loosely- reflected in the water. He was an unstable scaly, feathered and furred abomination. There was no single animal form that could be extracted from his appearance; they all just... blended together. He deduced that he was in the park a half mile away from Titans Tower. That was when he heard the voices. Specifically, the voices of Robin and Starfire. There were more sounds, too. The whoosh of air as Starfire flew, the crunch of the dirt under Robin's boots, a tree falling over somewhere. The perspective turned to face them. Even though he was over twenty feet away, he caught the small motion Robin made to pull something from his utility belt. Starfire, as he had expected, was floating slowly toward him. Robin edged closer as well. His attention was pulled away from the screen when Instinct chuckled, picking up the controller.

"Right now," Instinct began, "our body is "paused," if you will. Nothing is consciously controlling our actions. But if I just un-pause, select attack, choose the target... how about Starfire? You know, we've never actually seen her bleed before. I wonder what color it is..."

"Don't you dare!"

"What, and ignore the call of my natural curiosity? Surely you jest. Unless you want to try and grab this from me without any power of your own, at which point I'd simply wipe you from existence and carry on. Don't worry, this is just a test run. I won't hurt her _too _bad. Ooh, this weaponry looks good..."

He hit the START button. A loading screen appeared. (1)

"Aw, damn it all!"

* * *

Some Time Later:

* * *

Starfire floated closer to the… thing that was her friend. Is. Is my friend. The Beast seemed to bubble and boil as it stayed still, looking right at her, not taking any one form, but constantly shifting, in and out, furred, then feathered, large, then small. She spoke calmly.

"Come, now Beast Boy. We must return you to the bay of medicine. I do not wish to hurt you."

Even as she approached, she noticed that a part of The Beast's form was starting to solidify. Claws. Sharp and murderous, larger than any she had seen on any animal on earth, or even beyond it. Razor-sharp talons replaced its feet. A segmented plating covered its back, and two horns erupted from either side of its head. And then it lunged. Starfire barely had time to cross her arms in front of her face. As it turned out, she didn't need to. Not yet, anyway. Three objects attached to the thing's skin, exploding in succession and blowing it back several feet to land in the water. Robin's fourth disc electrified the lake. The thing howled, hissed, and squawked as ten thousand volts of electricity coursed through its body. Somehow, it managed to work its way out of the lake, where it promptly collapsed against the moved closer to inspect it, when it suddenly leapt up, curling into a ball like an armadillo and barreling straight into him. Robin struck a tree at full force, and Starfire was sure she heard a rib break. The Beast was now standing over Robin, one claw ready to strike. Robin could barely look into its eyes.

* * *

The screen was tinted red, the word **_KILL_** seemingly watching over the entire scene.

"Okay, I get it. Call off the attack!"

Beast Boy was frantic. It was one thiing to go crazy; it was another to kill his leader.

"I would," Instinct replied. He sounded almost as frightened as Beast Boy "but it's not responding. The electricity must have done something to our mind. I'm not in control anymore. Nobody is."

"Give me that!"

Beast Boy wrenched the controller out of Instinct's grasp and began to follow the adage that any hardcore gamer follows when he's desperate: mash buttons like crazy. The odd part was that it seemed to be working. A menu was brought up, and he was just about to start scrolling through, when Instinct barreled into him once more. The last he saw of the screen was a flash of neon green.

"I guess," Instinct growled, " that you've decided to make a fight of it."

"_Hell _yeah."

* * *

Beast Boy's Feminine side was having her own issues at the moment. Here she was, in a dungeon, holding two people who she cared deeply about, headed to lock them away until all of this business was over. It was all for the greater good. If they stayed out of the fight, they'd be safe, even if humanity didn't prevail. She would make sure of it. But would it be worth betraying them? Raven had hadn't initially gotten along _that _well with Beast Boy, of course, but they were friendly toward each other now. And Cyborg had always been his buddy from the get-go. And now she was risking it all. Not because she didn't care, but because all she _did_ was care. There was but one way to fix this, and even then, it was a long shot, relying on something beyond her control.

And then she felt it. It was small, but noticeable all the same; an apparent ripple in the space. A disturbance that she sensed. And she knew what she needed to do.

"He's fighting back."

Feminine looked up. Raven felt it too. Came with the territory, obviously.

"Beast Boy's fighting back," Raven clarified.

"And that means I can, too. Come on!"

She grabbed them both, nearly dragging them down the various twisting corridors until they got to a room. Sliding the bolt, she pushed the door open. What Raven and Cyborg saw stunned them; All four of the "Beast Titans" lay shackled to tables.

"Did I say I can? I meant _we_ can."

* * *

(1): Sorry for breaking the mood, but how could I _not_ make that joke?

The next chapter contains Badass angry Starfire, among other things. Clicking that button below will ensure you get it all the faster.


	8. Penultimate

Aw yeah, here we go. Battle time!

* * *

Beast Boy quickly understood that he was no match for his animal side. It was faster. Stronger. More agile. More deadly. He had fists. It had horns. And claws. And talons.

He understood, just as quickly, that he didn't care. He was fighting for Raven. And so, beaten, bruised, and bloody, he steadied himself against the wall, charged at Instinct again, having only his feet and hands as weapons, knowing it was futile, but knowing it had a purpose.

The punch actually connected. And the planescape shifted...

It was bright. White. And there was a silver... something in the distance. And Beast Boy was falling toward it. He landed near it, on his stomach, but couldn't lift himself up. A foot was on his back.

"Like it?" Instinct said in the voice that was not quite Beast Boy's, "It's where I stayed."

Beast Boy looked at it. A cage. With several restraints. Lots of them. Chains. Shackles. Leashes.

"It's where you put me," Instinct continued, "when you were done _using_ me. When I'd filled some purpose for you."

"Didn't want to-" Beast Boy began.

"You feared me. You loathed me. You abused me. Forced me to bend to your will. Locked me in here when you were through. Made me eat _tofu_. Now you'll stay here. And I'll be free. And Raven will be no more."

"What's this got to do-"

"With Raven? It's the only way I was let out. Protect Raven. Keep Raven safe. Die for Raven if you have to. Every time, I was let out because of her, and every hope of freedom was crushed once she was safe."

"You won't. I won't let you."

"And you'll stop me by yourself?"

"Yes."

And Beast Boy found strength. He threw Instinct off and leapt on him like an animal, punching, scratching, biting, headbutting, doing anything to damage the thing that had threatened _his_ Raven. Part of him or not, it wouldn't be done. He couldn't lose anyone else.

It _still_ wasn't enough. He felt the claws rake his face and chest again, and again. He felt them bury themselves in his abdomen and continue through. He felt the pain as his spinal cord was inches away from being severed. And he screamed.

* * *

Robin always knew he would die one day. Nobody lived forever. But it was something else entirely to be killed by your own teammate. He couldn't bear to look it in the face. He focused on his own injuries. He was only going to live for a few more seconds, so why not? From the look (or rather, feel) of it, he had broken three ribs on his left side. The rest of his chest was in the process of being crushed by a giant... thing, and he had a crick in his neck. He looked up at the claws that seemed to come at him in slow motion, ready to feel them sink into his eye sockets. His last thought would have been that he didn't blame Beast Boy for any of this.

Fortunately, something slammed into the Beast's side, tossing it from off of Robin as if it had been propelled by a comically large slingshot. Starfire was there, floating in its place. As gently as she could, she cradled Robin in her arms and took off flying, as fast as she could, back to the tower. Another horrible roar told her that the Beast was on her tail, and not going away very soon. Now above the cover of the trees, she flew in a straight line toward the Tower in the bay. A single glance back told her that the Beast had grown a set of wings and was following her at high speed (It would later occur to her that said speed was rather ludicrous, considering its weight, bone structure, and other such factors).

Still a good distance from the tower, Starfire was unable to find the already broken window to the medical bay, and obviously had no time to use the front door. She looked down at Robin in her arms.

"We may need to replace another window. I do not think I will be able to find an entrance before the creature catches me."

"Uh, Star," Robin said, putting on a brave face, "I probably won't take well to being reverse-defenestrated in this state. Or in any state, mind you." (1)

The Beast had almost caught up. With one final glance back, she put a desperate plan into motion. She put on a final burst of speed and held it. As she came close to a window, she looked back once more. The Beast was almost in her face, but she was ready. Slinging a starbolt at point blank range into the creature's gullet, she turned and broke through the window, doing her best to shelter Robin from the fragmenting glass. They landed on Raven's bed. Robin got up immediately reaching at his utility belt, but Starfire grabbed his arm.

"You are in no condition to fight. I will handle this myself."

She flew out of the window before Robin could protest.

* * *

Raven heard. She clutched her head. Cyborg seemed to feel it, too. Everyone in the room looked at them. All of Beast Boy's humanity. The shadows of his friends- his _family_- that would forever echo in his mind, and in him. And they began, ever so lightly, to fade. She looked at them, too. A wordless silence. And then, a twisting sensation in her gut, and she was there. The cage behind them. Beast Boy, with deep cuts all over his body, Instinct's claws still in him. The various facets of Beast Boy's humanity charged forth, knocking Instinct away and leaving Beast Boy on the floor, bleeding.

"Beast Boy? Can you hear me?"

He just groaned.

"Can't you guys- y'know- go in him?" Cyborg asked.

"No. He's too damaged," Intelligence said.

Raven knew what she had to do.

While Cyborg and four people that looked Like Beast Boy fought against the creature, Raven tended to his wounds. The blue aura she conjured licked at some of the fresher or shallower wounds. She became aware of Feminine standing next to her.

"Go. Fight," Raven said. "I've got this."

And Feminine left, transformed into... something, and fought. It was like a bear, but like a wolf, but like a thousand other things. Raven could not die. Raven _would not _die. And she would stop it, alone if she had to. Claws, talons, and sharp teeth dug in and held. And then she began to disappear.

"So gracious of you to come," Instinct gloated. "I've weakened a bit without you."

With a scream, Feminine was absorbed, and all hope seemed lost.

* * *

Starfire was mad. As far as she could tell, this... _thing_ had taken control of her friend's body, and had recently tried to kill another. So, her eyes and hands blazing neon green as she roared to the heavens, Starfire charged forward at Robin's assailant with rage that only a Tamaranian could be capable of.

It was ready. The murderous claws drew first blood. A slash to the midsection. It did minor damage at most, but was met with a punch of such colossal force that the water in the bay rippled. The Beast was thrown back into the bay by the force, and Starfire followed. She lifted the thing by the neck and fired a starbolt, sending the creature barreling back once again. She flew to meet it, slamming it from above and driving it into the ground. She flew up with it. Up to the highest point of the tower, and threw it down. It careened downward, and Starfire followed. The orb of green energy in her hand grew as she moved, larger than any starbolt she had ever thrown before. The Beats hit the floor, and a few seconds later, before it could gather its senses, Starfire delivered a punch, her fist blazing with green energy that completely engulfed the monstrosity before exploding, propelling it into the air and leaving a crater in the earth on which it rested. Starfire dropped to her knees. The thing stirred. It stood up, not completely unfazed, but strong enough to continue fighting. And Starfire got up, too. And they charged again, trading blows. Dirt and grime and Starbolts and claws and eye beams and horns seemed to blend together as one as the battled in the ground, wrestling for position as both scored heavy hits against each other. And Starfire fell out of the jumble and landed hard against the concrete wall of the Tower. The Beast, battered and burned, came after her. It got back up after everything she had done, and it wanted more. She was tired, but she knew that as long as it was after her, it wouldn't go after Robin. That hope allowed her the power of flight. And she fled.

* * *

Raven didn't know what hit her. Suddenly there was a whole new threat level, as several entities started to come out of the woodwork. Savage green men in loincloths , as if summoned by some invisible beacon, all began to dogpile Instinct, and were all absorbed. He didn't grow in size. He barely changed shape. But his presence grew. As Instinct grabbed, and absorbed, and grabbed, and absorbed, a darkness fell.

Cyborg stepped up, fired his sonic cannon- and it did nothing. Instinct moved, at blinding speed, and slashed right through him, metal armor and all. Cyborg screamed in surprise, as oil and coolant leaked out of him. He tried to stem the flow, but his metal hands couldn't fit in the slashes. He knelt next to Raven. She didn't even falter. She touched him, undoing the incantation that brought him in.

Now all that was left was a green boy in quintuple- one bleeding, four looking completely ridiculous- a metal man and a girl in a cloak. And the four that stood had no chance. With unprecedented speed, Instinct dove on them, and absorbed them, too. Their resistance did nothing to stop it. They were overpowered, taken in, destroyed for all Raven knew. And she was alone. She stood between Beast Boy and Instinct, brought her hands up, sheathed in orbs of black light, And fired. Instinct staggered, but continued to walk toward her. She fired again, harder, pouring all she had into the strike. It knocked him over. He got up, and continued. He dashed toward her, threw her out of the way, and sank his claws deep into Beast Boy's chest.

Or would have, if not stopped by a flat plate of darkness. He tried again, but upon lifting his claws for the strike, he found another shield blocking his way. He bashed through it with ease, only for another one to stop him. Before he could break this one again, it exploded, tossing him backward several feet. Raven stood between them. He shields had been smashed, her energy drained, but she would not quit. One thought went through her mind as Instinct rushed forward. _Protect Beast Boy. _Three words that had, for all intents and purposes, replaced her usual mantra. Instinct slashed; his claws met a shield and shattered it. Raven staggered back, clutching her head. _Protect Beast Boy_. Another shield went up. It broke. _Protect... Beast... Boy_. Attack. Shield. Shatter. _Protect_. Attack. No shield. The claws came racing forward, and Raven closed her eyes, hoping beyond all hope.

* * *

(1) Defenestration is the act of throwing a person through a window. However, it is usually done by throwing the _out_ rather than _in_. Yeah, I'm very anal about grammar and usage. Sue me._  
_


	9. Peril

Fate and Luck conspired against this fic. I was only able to overcome them because I was inspired by "Rise of the Beast" by Quill N. Unique. (S)he gets bounds of respect in my book for completing _eighteen chapters_ in one month _exactly_. That, sirs and madams, is commitment. Story is on my Favorites list. Thank her. Tell her I sent you. Fill her review inbox to the limit, all in my name! MWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!

Ahem.

Final Chapter of the story that concerns Beast Boy's mind. One more chapter is needed to wrap this up. Needed to get this done before I continued "Unyielding" because there's something semi-important to the story in this chapter, and I don't want it to seem as if I've pulled it out of my ass. Which mostly I did anyway, but It's not like I can pull the same thing out of my ass _twice_.

Also, please note: If at any point in this story you felt that something happening in Beast Boy's mind didn't make sense, that was because his mind is currently being reformatted to "Beast Mode" and the metaphor is falling apart.

...

What's that you say? I'm covering up bad writing? Of course not! I'm _explaining away_ bad writing. There's a difference. Somewhere.

Expect a bonus chapter with some ideas I left out. Possibly.

* * *

It occurred to Raven that she hadn't once questioned why she was in her current position. She _was_ the only person who could cast the spell that brought her and Cyborg into Beast Boy's mind. But that wasn't enough justification for wearing herself out fighting for him, and currently facing the possibility of impaling her face on a set of claws, on the off chance that this might help. It was amazing how much she could think when death seemed imminent; her mind was racing, recounting events that had transpired recently. Beast Boy's undying loyalty to her. The pain he was hiding; the pain that she felt for him. How warm it was to be held in his arms. Why? Why was she risking her life for him?

She received several answers at once. _Because you're his friend. You'd do it for any of them. He'd do it for you. He _did_ do it for you. You owe him. He needs you. __You need him__._

... Shouldn't she have received a face-full of claw by now?_  
_

She opened her eyes. The claws had stopped mere millimeters before her face. Close enough that Raven could smell the oil on them from their attack on Cyborg. However, that wasn't the most interesting sight. Instinct was being held back, by a red-eyed, pale grey Sasquatch, which roared and pulled him backward in a suplex that shook the very ground Raven was standing on. It shifted form, and it was once again the pale, Trigon-influenced imitation of Beast Boy.

Utterly bemused, Raven could only say "What."

He spoke again, more to himself than to Raven, or to Instinct, who was buried upside down to his midsection.

"Mom. Dad. Terra. Gone. Because I was weak. I won't be weak. I won't lose anyone else."

He morphed into a Bull and charged, just as Instinct pulled his head out of the dirt.

* * *

Starfire was unaware of how long she had been flying. A minute? an hour? a day? All she knew was that she could not stop. Lives depended on her to keep moving. One of them was Robin's. She could _not_ stop. Putting on another burst of speed from ho knows where, she turned her head to see how far ahead she was.

Not very.

Instinctively, she U-turned in midair and flew straight toward the Beast, corkscrewing into a spin at the last moment to dodge under its arm and detonating a full-body Starbolt as she did. It slowed the beast down, but at this point in time, it was too angry to be stopped. Before she could speed nup again, something wrapped around her leg. She screamed as she was dragged toward the beast, which had sprouted squid's tentacles and was dragging her into its gaping maw. She attempted to fire beams from her eyes, but a surprise shot of ink to the face made them sting and broke her concentration, even as more tentacles constricted her. This was it. She wasn't going to make it. She waited for death to come.

It didn't.

The familiar sound broke the spell. She felt the Beast move violently, its grip on her loosened just enough for her to break out. She hit the roof of the Tower, and was helped up by a metal arm. Her vision finally clearing, she looked at Cyborg's feet, his knees, then to his chest, a makeshift patch of concrete evidenced injury.

"You alright," Cyborg queried.

"Not really. Is Beast Boy-"

"Gone? Not quite, but-"

Suddenly, Cyborg shoved Starfire backward. She would have fallen off if not for the raised concrete battlement . The green blur narrowly missed her head. It snarled and charged yet again, claws at the ready, but another blast from the Sonic Cannon disrupted it enough that Cyborg too could leap out of the way. It hurtled past, and as it turned, a whirring sound filled the air, and its feet were frozen to the concrete. Robin appeared, giving Cyborg a look. It was understood.

So far, they had been fighting to take the Beast down. They had to use enough force take him _out_. Cyborg leaped to the highest point and punched in a code on his arm. Immediately, the Titan Tower mega-cannon rallied to join him, all three barrels directed at the Beast. Robin readied the entire contents of his utility belt and launched them all at once. Flash and smoke bombs. Exploding, electrical, and cryogenic discs. Sharp Birdarangs. At least five _bo _staves. As soon as they hit, Cyborg unleashed the cannon. Starfire looked away.

* * *

Raven wasted no time. She ran to Beast Boy's side, the noise of battle reaching her ears but barely registering. However strong Beast Boy's negativity was, Instinct was stronger. One final desperate plan crossed her mind. There was no guarantee that it would work. There was only hope.

Beast Boy's major wounds had not yet been sealed. Good. Her hands sheathed in black aura, Raven touched Beast Boy's head. He awoke with a groan.

"Beast Boy, can you hear me?"

"Rae?"

"Listen, I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"Focus on your pain."

"That all?" he chuckled.

"You don't sound like you're in pain."

He felt Raven's hands on his cuts. The deep scores in his face, the gouges in his back, the impalement in his chest. He looked down. Raven's hands were not covered in the blue healing aura, but rather, a black one. Beast Boy felt the wounds close up as she pulled her hands away, a dark ball of energy still in her hands.

"What are you-"

"The usual spell," Raven interrupted, sensing the question before it was even out, "Just speeds up the body's natural healing process. This one is a curse. It totally heals everything." (1)

"Doesn't sound like a curse."

"It's a curse," Raven said, bringing his attention to the ball in her hand, "because it draws the pain out of your wounds, and inflicts it on the target of my choice."

"Cool."

"Go join the fight. I have a bit more preparation to do."

Beast Boy needed no second bidding. He raced into the fray, just as Instinct- more or less unharmed despite the attacks against him- scored a devastating blow on Negativity that- by some act of providence- sent the white entity right into Beast Boy's waiting arms. Unsure what to exactly do, Beast Boy willed that the two would become one. And they did. Immediately, Beast Boy was filled with remorse, grief and doubt, but most of all, he was enraged, barely noting for it that he regained his power to transform. Morphing into a buffalo, he charged at Instinct in a vicious headbutt, dodging under a swipe of Instinct's claws by turning into a a frog and leaping at him, shifting into an elephant upon connecting, and back to human, crouching on all fours.

This was the part of him that he had always feared. It rebelled against him, tried to hurt his friends, and tried to take over his body. Beast Boy Let his rage be his strength, and charged. His assault, though savage, was not enough. Instinct weathered every blow, as though Beast Boy were a leaf blowing in the wind. Instinct was just too powerful. But Beast Boy knew that he was only buying time, and transformed into a Galapagos Tortoise, feeling Instinct's every blow against his toughened shell. And then he heard Raven's voice, as if from far away.

_"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"_

The ball in Raven's hand expanded and zoomed forward, changing shape until it was Instinct's double, gaining claws of its own. It raced toward the two fighters and and slashed Instinct diagonally. He faltered. The attack left no wound, but it _hurt_. He turned to attack it, and his claws went straight through. Instinct felt his own claws against his face, his back, his legs. The strength that he always prided himself on was turned against him. He couldn't block; he couldn't dodge; he could only take it, and he didn't like it one bit. And suddenly, Raven's voice cried out again.

"Stop!"

"Raven?" Beast Boy and Instinct inquired together.

They both seemed to realize at once. This was going to be the final blow. And she was going to take it.

"Raven, what are you doing?" Beast Boy asked, even as the dark doppelganger raced toward her.

"Taking a risk."

"Raven, no!"

Too late. The black blur had already reached her. Beast Boy jumped in front of her having taken the form of a cheetah to reach her, but the attack just went through him. He felt nothing. He didn't see the claws enter Raven's stomach as much as _felt _them on some deep level. The only noise was Raven's groan, which became a shriek of anguish as the dark spectral Beast dissipated. Beast Boy couldn't speak, but Instinct conveyed the thought that ran through his head loud and clear.

"_Raven!_"

It was not the calm, brooding, gravelly voice. It was not the enraged, snarling voice either. This voice had emotion. This voice was human. It barely registered with Beast Boy, though.

What did register was the howl that escaped Instinct's lips. Beast Boy turned to find a sight straight out of an alien movie. Instinct's stomach bulged in a fairly ridiculous manner, and a set of claws, sheathed in green aura, erupted from it, followed by a furry head and body, and soon enough, an entire beastly form crawled out of Instinct's body and dashed toward raven, sniffing and snuffing, before settling on Beast Boy, and giving him a look that conveyed everything. Beast Boy absorbed this one, too, and the aura was his to command. Sending Raven from his mind, Beast boy faced Instinct for the final time, as the latter was picking himself off of the floor.

Instinct rushed forward, berserk in his rage, but Beast boy didn't so much as shift a molecule. He caught Instinct by the horns and flipped him over effortlessly. Instinct twisted out of the hold and slashed with his claws; Beast Boy moved out of the way with the grace of a swan, deflected blows with minimal effort, never striking back. Instinct looked worried.

"But... how?"

"I can't defeat you by fighting like you. By stooping to your level. I'm laying down the law. Right here. Right now."

Suddenly, Beast boy was lifting Instinct by the scruff of his neck.

"You are a part of me. You always will be. But you cannot control me."

Beast Boy remembered words that Raven had said to him, a million years ago.

_Having that thing inside you doesn't make you a monster._

"I am _not_ an animal_."  
_

_Knowing when to let it out..._

"I am a man!" (2)

And with that, Beast Boy delivered one blow to Instinct's midsection, the green aura pumping out of him and exploding, centered on the area of the blast.

* * *

The smoke cleared, revealing an amorphous green lump. Fur, feathers, and shell fragments littered the area. The lump stirred. The Beast, down but not out, slowly shuffled to its feet, then ran with a final burst of speed at Robin, who was the closest. Robin closed his eyes. He couldn't run. He couldn't dodge. He couldn't go anywhere.

He didn't need to.

With a scream of rage and fear, Starfire flew with a speed that matched the Beast's and then some, fast enough that the very air around her seemed to explode. She rammed her elbow into the Beast's face and followed up with a swing of her arms. Her weapon: the very battlements she had fallen against, broken away like Styrofoam in her rage. With it, she delivered a mighty blow that pulverized it to dust in her hands and hammered the Beast into the floor. Her speed sent her careening into Robin, sheer luck preventing him from breaking any more bones. (3)

The smoke cleared. Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin, all injured in various ways, waited for it, not knowing what to do if the green behemoth still stood in front of them. A deep groan confirmed their fears. Heavy footfalls were heard as the Beast stalked out of the smoke toward them, moving like a horror movie monster through the woods. Step. Step.. Step... _Thud_.

It fell onto its face and began to shrink. The claws disappeared. The fur shot backward into its body, revealing a tattered black-and-purple suit, and pointed ears. With a small smile, Starfire collapsed, exhausted.

* * *

**(1)** In the actual comics, Raven's healing worked by pulling the pain out of the injury and into her own body. Still not sure how that's supposed to _work_, but this is a series in which one of several clones of teenage Superman from another universe has the power to punch reality away. And no, I can't make up something that stupid if I tried.

**(2)** Some of you may be familiar with Linkara: My intention from the start (which was, what, two years ago? damn...) was for Beast Boy to reverse his line in _The Beast Within_ (I'm not a man; I'm an _animal!_"). (Un)fortunately, by virtue of Memetic Mutation, any and all yelling of "I am a man!" must be accompanied by a punch in the gut. No exceptions. I'm just playing my part.

**(3)** Yes. You read that right. Starfire just ripped off a piece of the tower and used it as a weapon. While breaking the sound barrier. Don't mess with Tamaran, bitch.


	10. Plenary

This Chapter was a pain. Especially the first scene. I couldn't decide who I wanted to speak first. And the awkward silences *twitch*. Anyway, Happy Belated Valentines' Day!

* * *

The moon was full. Even Beast Boy, thick as he often was, couldn't ignore the irony. He tried anyway, skipping rocks along the surface of Jump City Bay, trying to reach the reflection of the bright orb in the water. After a few pitiful attempts, a large stone, aided by an aura of black, whizzed along the surface, landing squarely in the center of the moon's reflection.

"Hey," Beast Boy complained half-heartedly, "you cheated."

Raven was rarely ever in the mood for humor; this was no exception. In fact...

"We need to talk, Beast Boy."

"Yeah. We do."

Silence. Beast Boy scratched an imaginary itch on the back of his head.

"You want to go first?" Beast Boy ventured.

Raven took a deep breath, then quickly blurted out, "How long have you had feelings for me?"

Beast Boy's eyes bugged out for an instant, but he quickly regained his composure... and began babbling.

"Well, uh, when you say 'feelings'- I mean, what happened today... we're a team, and a family, and I just- I mean..."

He wavered under Raven's glare.

"Since about three hours after I met you."

Noting Raven's shock, he continued. "Uh, I mean, I know this is going to sound cheesy or whatever, but since I met you, I always knew that there was something special about you. And then, when that big iguana guy was gonna waste me, you just jumped in front of me, and I just- I don't even know. At first, I was so caught up with figuring out what you were, and then I got to know you better, and I was more interested in _who _you were, and then... And then the whole Trigon thing came up, and for those few hours, you were... _gone_, and I just didn't know what to do. It's like, even though the world was frozen over, and everyone was stone, and there's a hundred-foot-tall demon sitting on the tower over a lake of lava... I would have had some hope if you were still there. I realized then how much you meant to me, and ever since, I've been- I don't even know, but I-"

He sighed and sat down hard on a boulder.

"I must sound like an idiot."

"You always do."

He just groaned. Raven continued.

"But I think I feel the same way."

"Well, I know it makes you uncomfortable, and I'm sorry, but I can't help- Wait, what?"

"I think I have feelings for you."

After a long, ponderous pause, Beast Boy spoke up.

"Pardon me for looking a gift horse in the mouth, but... what do you mean you _think_?"

"I don't know. I'm not used to feeling things, or acting on emotion or anything like that, but... I just... I need you. No matter how _incredibly _annoying you are, how much you bug me, how much you try to drag me into doing stuff. I need you to be there for me."

Raven couldn't look at him anymore. The silence stood there thick enough to cut. Beast Boy finally made a move. Slowly, he put his gloved hand under Raven's chin and lifted her face.

"I need you too."

Raven didn't hesitate. She threw her arms around him, as she had done before, had wanted to do for a long time, had she been willing to admit to herself. His arms, deceptively strong, enveloped her and they stood there, for seconds, minutes, maybe even hours, each enjoying the presence of the other. Raven finally broke away, pulled her hood over he head, and walked off.

"We still need to talk," she said curtly. "Later, though. Maybe Friday, eight o'clock? We could have dinner. Just the two of us."

"Yeah, sure." It took a minute for Raven's words to make sense. "Wait... Did you just ask me out?"

The main doors slid open, and she paused in the threshold and turned toward him.

"What do you think, Beast _Man_?"

She winked and stepped in. The doors slid closed behind her. Beast Boy fell to the ground, giving a contented sigh. Things were good. Suddenly, Raven's head came out of a portal a few inches above his face and glared at him.

"For the record, I'll never call you that again as long as I live."

She disappeared again, leaving Beast Boy stunned on the rocks.

* * *

The next morning, Beast Boy awoke early, before anyone else. He didn't head for the TV or the Gamestation. Neither did he start setting up an immature prank of some kind. He didn't even leave his room. He dug through a few piles of clothes before he found what he was looking for: the green mirror, currently lacking horns, feathers, or any other adornments. He took a deep breath and looked into it, focusing on the entity with whom he had business.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a dry wasteland. Besides the scattered bones and a single gnarled, dried out tree, the only sign that any life had been to this place at all was the cage. And it stood out like a sore thumb. It rattled and rolled along the ground like a tumbleweed, spewing angry growls and snarls at every occasion. Beast Boy stopped it with an outstretched arm as it rolled past. An impressive feat, since the c age was big enough for him to fit inside. Though, to be fair, he _was_ inside.

The resident of the cage was in a sorry state. Aside from the obligatory ball-and-chain around each leg, there were chains connecting his right paw his left hind leg, and vice-versa. Still more chains connected to his torso to all four corners of the cage. A collar and leash were around his neck. Instinct glared at Beast Boy, baring his teeth.

"I knew this was coming. Come, enjoy the spectacle of the monster in the cage."

"You don't have to be in there."

_CLANK_

The door to the cage opened, and the shackles disappeared. Instinct was wary to leave.

"What are you doing? What trickery is this?"

"No tricks. Get out here."

Instinct came out on all fours, ears drooping, not daring to look Beast Boy in the eye. No longer the head, he could only show submission and hope for mercy. Mercy was more than he received.

He was picked up roughly by the shoulders, forced to stare into his master's eyes... and then embraced.

"I'm- I'm sorry," Beast Boy stammered.

"What?"

"You acted like a monster because I _treated_ you like one. I was afraid of you. Afraid of what I could become. But I realized that you're a part of me, and it was wrong of me to lock you away."

"So you're saying you trust me?"

"Not really," Beast Boy smirked as he pulled away. "I'm saying I trust my own ability to pound you into nothingness if you step out of line."

With a rippling and bubbling of features, Instinct changed. His fangs shrunk back to manageable size. His paws became hands, the claws now only a few inches. He slimmed until he was only slightly taller and stockier than Beast Boy himself. He smiled, the one fang- slightly longer than Beast Boy's- poking from his mouth.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

End. Thanks for sticking by me, and for all the reviews. They make me happy. Sorry this took so damn long XD.

If you're so inclined, check out the sequel: Unyielding. I'll have it updated soon-ish, I swear.

Also, if you're a fan of the _Redwall_ series (RIP Brian Jacques) or _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, Check out my profile. I have some stories in both of these categories that need some love.


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